SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has gained weight again and appears to be suffering from obesity-related health problems including high blood pressure and diabetes, and his officials are searching overseas for new drugs to treat him, South Korea’s intelligence agency told lawmakers Monday.
Kim Jong Un, 40, comes from a family known for heavy drinking and smoking and a history of heart disease. His father and grandfather, who ruled North Korea before becoming president in 2011, were both Succession of power, He died of heart disease.
Kim, who is about 170 cm (5 feet 8 inches) tall and previously weighed 140 kilograms (308 pounds), appears to have lost a lot of weight in 2021, some observers said. Possibly due to changes in dietBut recent state media footage shows him regaining the weight.
South Korea’s main spy agency, the National Intelligence Service, said in a closed-door briefing with lawmakers on Monday that Kim’s weight was again estimated at about 140 kilograms (308 pounds), putting him in a high-risk group for heart disease, according to Lee Seong-gyeong, a lawmaker.
Lee said the NIS had told lawmakers that Kim had been showing symptoms of high blood pressure and diabetes since his early 30s. Another lawmaker, Park Sun-won, said the NIS believed Kim’s obesity was linked to drinking, smoking and stress.
Citing the National Intelligence Service, Ri and Park said they had received intelligence that North Korean authorities were trying to obtain new medication from overseas for Kim Jong Un’s suspected high blood pressure and diabetes.
North Korea is one of the most secretive countries in the world, making it virtually impossible for outsiders to know exactly what Kim Jong Un’s health is, and the National Intelligence Service has a spotty track record when it comes to checking the situation in North Korea.
Kim Jong Un has not formally named a successor to oversee the country’s expansion of its nuclear arsenal, which can target the United States and its allies, if he is incapacitated, so his health is attracting intense attention outside North Korea.
The NIS also said in a Monday briefing that Kim Jong Un’s teenage daughter Kim Joo-ae, Kim appears to be strengthening his position as his father’s successor, but the National Intelligence Service said it could not rule out one of his brothers as a successor as he has not been formally named as his father’s successor.
Kim Joo Ae, who was about 10 years old, accompanied her father on his famous trip, sparking speculation about her. Public Events Starting in late 2022. State media has called her Kim Jong Un’s “most beloved” or “respected” child and released a plethora of footage and photos. Proof of her rising political status And intimacy with his father.
The National Intelligence Service reported to lawmakers that at least 60 percent of Kim Joo-ae’s public activities involved attending military events with her father.
